Butterfly Fly Away
by piper maru duchovny
Summary: Lylli Grissom is sick of being the family secret. GSR - season 7ish
1. Chapter 1

**The original version of this was wrote when I was fifteen. It was then turned into a roleplay account at sixteen. And now, almost eighteen, I'm taking it back to the original concept and putting it in fic form**

**I own nothing!**

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"_You look at me, and you don't like what you see._

_But this is the price, Mother – the price of belonging to you."_

-White Oleander;

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It was her sixteenth birthday and she sat alone at the breakfast nook. Her barefoot tapped against the wooden leg of the stool as she blew out the lone candle on the purple icing covered cupcake. A glance at the clock and then at the phone, she let out a sigh, "Happy Birthday Lyllian Rose, another year alone."

She plucked the candle from the cupcake and tossed it in the nearby trashcan. Scooping up the frosting with her pointer finger, she ate in silence. Of course, she wasn't truly alone. Upstairs, her paternal grandmother slept and would wake in a few hours to see Lylli off to school. It was two forty-one in the morning and at that very moment, Lylli became exactly one year older than she'd been seconds before. She hoped her mother or father would call and wish her a 'happy birthday', but she knew better than to put faith in them remembering.

"Lyllian." Rose Grissom walked into the kitchen. She padded quietly over to her granddaughter, placing her hand on top of Lylli's, "You okay?"

Lylli nodded, "I just wish they'd call."

Rose stared intently at her granddaughter's lips, making sure to catch every word, "I'm sure they'll call later."

"Grandma." Lylli sighed and shook her head, "If they were going to call, it'd of been right now. I know them."

"I know." Rose walked around the nook and wrapped her arms around her granddaughter, "I love you."

"I love you too." Lylli squeezed her grandmother's arm lightly and rested her head on top of hers.

"Bed, Bug." Rose stroked Lylli's dark brown curls.

Lylli nodded, sliding off her stool and kissing her grandmother's cheek before padding up the stairs. She slammed her bedroom door louder than she intended and blindly found her way to her through the dark. Collapsing on top of the covers, she turned to stare out her window. Her fingers touched the screen as the night winds blew through, "Are you looking at the same moon?"

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. Lylli grabbed her cellphone off her night stand and shoved her window up, climbing out on the roof. She dialed the number from memory and pressed the phone to her ear as she waited.

"Sidle." Her mother answered the phone.

"Mom?" Lylli swallowed hard as a lump formed in her throat.

"Lylli?"

"Yeah." Lylli nodded even though her mother couldn't see her.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Lylli could hear cars and figured her mother was on the way to a crime scene or on the way back to the lab.

"I just had my birthday cupcake and... I wanted to hear your voice." Lylli sniffled and wiped her nose on the inside of her Nirvana tee.

"Happy Birthday, Baby." Sara whispered and a tear slid down Lylli's face.

"I miss you." Lylli admitted.

"I miss you too."

"I should go to bed." Lylli shook her head, forcing her emotions back down.

"Okay." Sara whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." Lylli gave a sad smile, "Tell Daddy.... that I love and miss him."

"He loves you too and I'll tell him, okay?"

"Okay." Lylli took a deep breath, "I'll talk to you later."

"Sleep well, Lyl."

"Night, Mama." Lylli hung up and climbed back through her window.

–

The Greyhound Bus rolled in to Las Vegas, Nevada at a quarter til five on the evening of October 7th. Lylli Grissom removed her headphones and slid her iPod back into her bag. She'd left Riverside that morning while her Grandmother thought she'd walked to school. Lylli glanced at her watch and knew that by now her Grandma was aware that she was gone. If the school hadn't called, then she'd figure it out when Lylli didn't show up for work at the art gallery. She just hoped that she'd found the note, _'I'm sorry Grandma. I'm going home. I love you. -Lylli'_.

Las Vegas was an overwhelming sight and it knocked the breath from Lylli's chest. She'd been there a handful of times to visit her father and then to see her mother after Sara transferred. It wasn't as scary as it had been the first time -now she feared her parents reaction to her arrival more than the city.

The bus rolled into the terminal and the passengers slowly filed out. Lylli stood with her backpack on her shoulder, glancing around and realizing that she had no idea how to get to the lab. She took a deep breath and let it out, "Go with your instincts."

Lylli walked out of the terminal like she belonged there -she did belong there. She ran a hand through her chocolate brown curls for the umpteenth time that day and felt her heart rate quicken. Shaking her head, she looked around for someone that didn't look like a tourist. Finally, she spotted a patrol officer standing outside a corner store. Mustering all her courage she walked over to him, "Hi."

"Can I help you?" The officer asked.

"I was hoping to get directions to the Crime Lab." Lylli spoke softly.

"What do you need at the crime lab?" The officer gave the sixteen year old a once over.

"My... I have family that works there." Lylli explained.

"What's your name?" The officer asked.

"Lylli Grissom."

"Grissom?" The officer raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah and as shocking as it is, I really need a ride to the lab, so could you help me out?" Lylli crossed her arms.

"Yeah, sure." He opened the back door of the police car, "Get in."

"Thanks." Lylli tossed her backpack in and then climbed in herself. She crossed her arms over her purple flannel shirt and rested her knees against the back of the seat in front of her.

"So, how are you related to Grissom?" The officer asked as he merged with traffic.

"Ya know, I'll let him field that one." Lylli rolled her eyes. She'd never understood her parents need to keep her a secret,

"Alright then, Miss Lylli."

They rode in silence for a few moments longer and then the patrol car pulled up in front of the doors of the Clark County Crime Lab. Lylli waited for the officer to open the door and then she climbed out, swinging her bag over her shoulder, "Thanks."

"No problem, Miss Grissom." Lylli smiled and walked into the crime lab. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, walking up to the desk where Judy sat.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm here to see Gil Grissom." Lylli drummed her nails on the counter.

"I'm sorry, Miss, he's out in the field."

"What about Sara Sidle?" Lylli hoped.

"Would you like me to page her?"

"Yes, please." Lylli smiled and waited for her mother to emerge. She tapped her Converse nervously on the tile floor and picked at a stray thread on her jeans. She hoped that her parents would be happy enough to see her that they'd forgo a lecture on how irresponsible it is to runaway.

"Judy?" Sara Sidle walked around the corner, "What's the urgent urgen- Lylli?"

"Hey." Lylli gave a weak smile.

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked, walking over to her daughter.

"I figured I should be allowed to see my parents on my sixteenth birthday." Lylli's eyes narrowed.

Sara nodded and she pulled her into a hug, "I have missed you, Kid."

"I've missed you too." Lylli sighed; even if she didn't want to admit it, that was the truth.

"Does Rose know you're here?" Sara asked, picking up Lylli's backpack and taking her hand to lead her through the lab, "Let's go to Grissom's office."

"No, well, maybe... I left a note." Lylli explained.

"Lyllian Rose!" Sara scolded and flopped down in Grissom's desk chair. She grabbed the phone off the desk and dialed the number for Grissom's mother.

"How much trouble am I in?" Lylli sighed, walking over to the tank that held her father's Tarantula, "Hi Murray."

Sara rolled her eyes, "Lyl, if you wanted to come up here, all you had to do was ask."

"Oh please." Lylli rolled her eyes in return, "I have to fight tooth and nail to get you to let me come for Christmas, cause God forbid you and dad take the same days for vacation."

"Lylli." Sara sighed as Rose picked up the phone, "Rose? It's Sara. Lylli's here."

Lylli flopped down on her father's black leather couch and drew her knees up to her chest. It hadn't always been so rough between the mother and daughter. Sara and Grissom had met during Sara's senior year at Harvard -he was guest lecturing and she was auditing the class, Lylli had been born nine months later. For the following nine years Lylli and Sara lived the roles of single mom and child. They were living in San Francisco when Sara got the call, Grissom asking her to come to Las Vegas and run a case.

Sara glanced up as she put the phone down, "Here comes your dad."

"Is he gonna be pissed?" Lylli bit her lip.

"Only one way to find out."

Grissom walked into his office, "Sara what are you-"

"Hi, Daddy!" Lylli jumped up from the couch and ran over to him, wrapping him in a hug.

"Lylli, what are you doing here?" Grissom asked, hugging his daughter.

"It's October 7th?"Lylli offered.

"Your birthday." Grissom sighed, "How did you get here?"

"Took a bus." Lylli shrugged and fell back down on the couch.

"Lyllian."

"What? Grandma knew." Lylli protested.

"Leaving Rose a note and skipping school doesn't count as Grandma knowing." Sara informed her.

"Lylli." Grissom pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh come on. I'm sixteen!" Lylli protested.

"You know how many sixteen year old runaways get killed because they thought they could beat the statistics?" Sara fired back.

"Oh shut up." Lylli yelled, "I'm not some corpse in your stupid case files! I'm your daughter and I'm standing right here!"

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**reviews are always appreciated and responded to **


	2. Chapter 2

_All happy families resemble one another,  
Each unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way.  
_-Anna Karenina

"I am sick and tired of being the family secret." She whispered, "I'm sick of being the unwanted daughter of two workaholics. Exiling me to Grandma's – however good your intentions – hurts."

"Lylli." Gil Grissom looked at his disheveled sixteen year old daughter standing before him.

"Daddy." Tears spilled from her light blue eyes, "I've played the part for sixteen years, the last seven of which I didn't even have my mother, and I've never thrown a fit. I've always put up with it."

"Lyl." Sara Sidle reached for her daughter and Lylli pulled away.

"I love Grandma's. I love working at the gallery. I hate being abandoned." She wrapped her arms around herself, creating her own bubble, "All I want is to come home from school and see my parents. I can't even get you two to come visit me more than twice a year."

"Lylli," Sara whispered, "We had you stay at Rose's because we wanted you to have a normal life."

"What the hell is normal?" Lylli threw her hands up in disgust.

"Language. You're still sixteen." Sara narrowed her eyes.

"Mom." She rolled her eyes, "I'm not going back to Riverside."

"Did something happen?" Grissom asked, sitting on the edge of his desk.

"No. Nothing happened." Lylli flopped down on the couch, "But I'm not going back. I belong here with my parents, living as a family. I don't care if you two are together or not, I don't want to be living three hours away. I don't want to only see you on my birthday and Christmas – if I'm lucky."

"Can we strike a deal?" Grissom offered.

"I'm way too old to be bribed, Dad." Lylli's arms crossed.

"Listen to your father." Sara pulled over Grissom's desk chair, "When did you develop this 'tude?"

"When I realized that your car wasn't turning back around." Lylli shot back and got off the couch. She didn't know where she was going, but she couldn't sit one second longer in her father's office. Sobs racked her chest as she sprinted out the door and into the dry Nevada heat.

–

"What was all the yelling?" Catherine Willows asked, peaking her head into Grissom's office.

"I should go after her." Sara whispered.

"She'll react to me better." Grissom countered.

"Gil... let me go after my daughter?" She pleaded and he nodded. Giving Catherine a broken smile, Sara jogged out of the building in search of the brokenhearted teenager.

"So, what was all the yelling?" Catherine asked again, propping herself up against the door frame.

"Hurricane Lylli." Grissom pulled out his migraine medication and swallowed the pill dry.

"Lylli?" Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"My daughter."

"What?" Her jaw dropped, "I think I heard you wrong."

Grissom shook his head and reach into his desk drawer, retrieving a faded photo and handing it to Catherine. It had been taken years ago in Boston; the three of them sitting on the steps of Sara's apartment in late fall. Lylli was sitting on her father's lap while swimming in her mother's Harvard sweatshirt. It had been taken by the neighbor after a day of picking the perfect pumpkin and playing in the leaves at the local park.

"She has your eyes." Catherine smiled and handed the photo back to Grissom, "How old is she?"

"Sixteen as of two forty-one this morning." Grissom looked at his picture before sticking it back in the desk. Lylli had turned four days prior to the picture being taken. It amazed Grissom how much about Lylli had changed. She still had the same dark chocolate curls, light blue eyes and gap-tooth grin, but her entire persona had hardened. Long gone was the little girl who practically glowed when in her parents line of sight.

"Same age as Lindsey." Catherine gave a small smile, "How come you never mentioned her?"

"We wanted her to have a normal life – a life away from Las Vegas and the drama of Sara and I. I needed Sara so bad on the team, that I was willing to keep Lylli a secret to let that happen." Grissom sat in his desk chair, putting his head in his hands, "Have I completely screwed up my daughter?"

Catherine shook her head and sat in front of him, "Gil, I heard her yelling. She wants to be here, she wants a relationship with you. Don't blow your chance."

"Why aren't you yelling at me right now?"

"Cause right now? My best friend needs me. I'll chew ya a knew one later." Catherine smirked.

–

Sara found her daughter in a heap in the far corner of the parking lot. Lylli had pulled into herself, curled up in a ball as she rocked herself. Sara sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around her daughter, "Lylli Rose."

"I shouldn't have came." Lylli sobbed, "Nobody wants me."

"Lyllian Rose Grissom." Sara tilted her daughter's chin up with her pointer finger, "Look at me."

Lylli blinked her blue eyes.

"Look at me." Sara repeated until Lylli looked her in the eye, "I love you, Lyllian Rose and I never want you to think you are unwanted again." Sara rested her forehead on Lylli's, "I know I haven't been the best mom, Kid, but let me and Grissom talk."

"I know you were trying to do what was best for me Mom, but maybe being here is what's best for me now." Lylli sniffled.

"Maybe." She pulled Lylli into her arms, "I love you."

"I love you too."

–

"Deep cleansing breaths." Lylli braced herself against the porcelain sink in the ladies restroom, "In through the nose, out through the mouth – whoever came up with that is a headcase." She took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

The bathroom door opened and in walked Catherine Willows. She stopped mid-step and smiled at Lylli, "You must be Grissom's daughter, right?"

"You're Catherine Willows, right?" Lylli countered and turned to face her father's friend.

"My reputation proceeds me?" Catherine raised an eyebrow, "Is that good or bad?"

"Well," Lylli mulled it over, "My father speaks very highly of you-"

"-Does Sara refer to me as the She-Devil?" Catherine chuckled.

"No. She saves that for the bondage chick..." Lylli snapped her finger, "Uhm, Mistress Leather?."

Catherine laughed and shook her head, "Sounds about right."

"Anyways," Lylli shrugged, "I prefer to form my own opinions."

"Good to know." Catherine moved to the sinks and washed her hands, "So, I have a daughter around your age-"

"-Lindsey, right?" Catherine nodded, "Dad talks about her a lot."

"Oh."

"She's my age, isn't she?"

"A few months older." Catherine nodded.

"If Mom can talk Daddy into letting me stay, I'd love to meet her." Lylli smiled, "We should have met years ago."

"You two could have blown stuff up together with your chemistry sets." Catherine grinned and wiped her hands on a paper towel.

"I'm actually not big on science." Lylli lifted herself onto the counter, "As odd as that may seem. My Grandma is an artist – she owns her own gallery down in Riverside. I've lived with her for the last seven years and I've fallen in love with sketchbooks."

"Lindsey's not a fan of science either – she does ballet." Catherine smiled.

"I always wanted to take ballet, but I was too much of a klutz." Lylli smiled, "I should get back to my dad's office."

Catherine nodded, "It was nice to meet you, Lylli."

"You too, Miss Willows." Lylli smiled and ducked out of the bathroom.

–

"Hey Miss Lylli, you ready to go?" Sara tapped the rubber toe of Lylli's Converse.

"Huh?" Lylli pulled an earbud from her ear.

"You ready to go?" Sara asked again, "Griss gave me the keys to his place. He's got a spare bedroom, so there's more room for you."

"Oh." Lylli nodded, "Yeah, let's get out of here." She turned off her iPod and closed her sketchbook, sticking her charcoal pencils back into her bag.

"You've really fallen in love with art, huh?" Sara asked, picking up Lylli's duffel bag and leading the way out o f the crime lab.

"Oh yeah." Lylli nodded, "Instructors sometimes teach classes at the gallery and being the gallery owner's granddaughter-"

"You get to sit in." Sara chuckled and put Lylli's bag in the trunk of her car.

"Exactly." Lylli opened the passenger door and slid in, "And I managed to pick up a few classes over the summer at the university."

"I'm proud of you, Lyl." Sara smiled as she backed out of the space.

"I love you, Mom."

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**Thank you SO much to all my reviewers. I try to reply to everyone, but sometimes I fail, so if you didn't get a message from me, I'm sorry. I'm glad ya'll like this fic.**__


	3. Chapter 3

"_Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome."  
_-Hope Floats

Gil Grissom walked up the front steps to his townhouse and let himself in. Toeing off his shoes and dropping his keys on the hallway table, he walked deeper into the house. He heard the sounds of C-SPAN playing on the TV in the living room. He paused in the entry way and smiled at his family. Sara was sat on one end of the couch watching the TV, Lylli's head rested in Sara's lap and her body stretched out the length of the couch. Sara's hand trailed through Lylli's hair as Lylli slept.

"Sara." Grissom whispered.

"Hey." Sara smiled and turned off the TV, "She drifted off while I was making her soup."

"She's had a long day." Grissom sat on the edge of the couch by Lylli's feet.

"Yeah." Sara whispered, her fingers tracing circles on Lylli's ear, "She's practically grown, Grissom. We've missed it all."

"I know." His hand rested on Lylli's ankle and he allowed his mind drift back to the few memories he had with his little girl.

_The Fall Lylli had turned six Grissom had scored a guest lecturing spot in Los Angeles. He had shacked up in Sara's spare bedroom and drove into the city every morning, coming back in time just to see Lylli get off the bus. That particular Fall afternoon, Lylli had gotten off the bus and came sprinting up the short driveway. Her 101 Dalmatians backpack banging against her back and her dark brown curls bouncing, she flew into his arms, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"_

"_Good Afternoon, Bug." He'd dropped a kiss to her nose, "Did you have a good day at school?"_

"_Uh-huh!" Lylli nodded, "This zoo keeper came to our class today and he had a bunch of bugs! And he had this cent..cent.. it looked like a worm with lotsa legs, Daddy." _

"_A centipede?" Grissom offered and Lylli nodded._

"_He said anybody could hold it! And I was the only girl in all of first grade who did it." Lylli beamed with pride. _

"Griss." Sara pulled him from his train of thought.

"Huh?" Grissom whispered.

"I want her to stay." Sara spoke softly, staring at her daughter's angelic face, "I don't want to miss anymore."

Grissom nodded, "Me too."

Her brown eyes found his blue ones and suddenly sixteen years didn't seem so long ago. Sara cleared her throat, "I should get her to that bed."

"Don't wake her." Grissom stood and hooked his arms under Lylli's knees and around her back.

"Griss." Sara warned, "She's not exactly six anymore."

"I've got her." Grissom reassured her and carried Lylli down the hall to his spare bedroom. Sara followed closely behind him and watched as he lay Lylli down on top of the covers. He carefully slid off her Converse and lay them on the floor beside the bed. Pressing a kiss to Lylli's head and standing up. Sara swallowed hard and forced the tears down.

In the hallway, she crossed her arms over her chest, "I'll come over first thing in the morning."

Grissom grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back, "Stay. Lylli will want to see you when she wakes up. You can take the bed."

"Griss." She bit the inside of her lip.

"Sara. Stay."

–

The morning light peaked between the shades of the spare bedroom and Lyllian Rose Grissom tossed her forearm across her eyes to block out the intrusion. For the first time in a long time Lylli had gotten more than four hours of sleep in a night. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled when she realized she was at her father's place.

Quietly, she climbed off the bed and went in search of her bag of clothes. She found her father asleep on the couch and her backpack resting next to it. Shrugging, she grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the bathroom. She turned the shower on quietly and climbed in – anxious to get the former days grit off her.

Twenty minutes later, Grissom knocked on the door, "Lyl, turn the hot water down I don't want you to get burnt."

"You're hilarious, Dad." Lylli called back. She was notorious for her water wasting hot showers and it had been a running joke since she was a little girl.

Grissom smirked, "There's coffee on. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Food." Lylli grinned.

"We'll go out?" Grissom offered.

"Sure. Now can I go back to raising your water bill?" Lylli hollered above the water.

Grissom smirked and walked away.

–

Ten more minutes and Lylli emerged from the steam filled bathroom and padded barefoot down the hallway to the kitchen. Her jeans drug about four inches too long and were covered with paint splatters and holes, the ensemble was completed with her black tank top. She pulled up her already curling brown hair as she walked.

"Morning." Sara was sat at the table, coffee cup in front of her.

"Morning." Lylli kissed her cheek and went to get her own cup.

Sara could still recall the first time Lylli had stolen a sip of coffee from her mug and how her caffeine addict of a nine-year-old had found a new drug. Lylli sat down and curled her legs under, "Did you stay here?"

"Griss let me sleep in his room." Sara explained.

Lylli nodded, "So... are you driving me back to Riverside today?"

"We'll talk at breakfast." Sara replied.

"Put your shoes on." Grissom smiled and kissed Lylli's head, "We'll go to the diner."

"Yes, Sir." Lylli grinned and sprinted down the hall to the spare bedroom. She slid on her knees to the floor and grabbed her shoes, pulling them on as quickly as she could. Grabbing her cellphone, she ran back to where her parents stood by the front door.

"Speed Racer." Sara muttered under her breath.

"We'll take my car." Grissom suggested and lead the way to the oversized SUV. Lylli climbed in the backseat and they rode in a near comfortable silence to the diner not far from the crime lab. It was only 10 am, but the Las Vegas sun was high in the sky and bearing down on the citizens like ants under a magnify glass.

"I love the heat." Lylli stood beside the rear bumper and lifted her head skyward.

"My little reptilian." Grissom teased his daughter, "We used to think you were cold blooded-"

"-Because I wanted to be out during the hottest part of the day." Lylli finished for him, "I know."

They entered the diner and Lylli shivered in the air conditioning. They took seats in a corner booth and Lylli stared out the window as they waited on their food. Grissom had ordered his usual breakfast while both girls had ordered the fruit salad. He watched as the two interacted and wondered if they knew how many mannerisms they shared. Lylli was plenty like Grissom, but her persona she had inherited from Sara. The way she held her fork and how she picked at her nails when she nervous.

"So...." Lylli looked back and forth between her parents.

"I'm taking you back to Riverside today-"Grissom began.

"-Daddy! No! Please!" Lylli begged.

"Let me finish." Grissom looked at Sara and they shared a grin, "We're going to pack up your things."

"You're coming home, Lyl." Sara smiled.

"I'm coming home..."

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**Thanks to all my awesome readers/reviewers/alerters. I'll try to update more. My brain has been fried due to illness as of late, but I'm starting to feel better :) **


	4. Chapter 4

_The weight of the world is love. Under the burden of solitude, under the burden of dissatisfaction.  
-Allen Ginsberg;_

The SUV rolled along highway fifteen as the Southern California sun rose high in the midday sky. Lyllian Rose Grissom sat in the passenger seat, bare feet tucked under her, and nose buried in her well worn copy of Howl. The radio played an old Beatles song and filled the silence of the vehicle. Gil Grissom readjusted his sunglasses and peaked over at his daughter.

Where had sixteen years gone? It seemed like yesterday he had gotten the call from a scared twenty-year-old Sara Sidle informing him that she was pregnant. It had changed Grissom's life. He had spent his formative years without his father and had decided within seconds of receiving the news he wasn't going to be absent to his child. So much for that.

"Dad?" Lylli tucked a dark chocolate curl behind her ear.

"Yeah, Lylli?" Grissom switched lanes.

Lylli took a deep breath and let it out, "Is Grandma going to be mad?"

"Why would she be mad?" Grissom furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Cause she's raised me. For like half my life. Now, I'm leaving her to live in Vegas." Lylli stared down at her Converse on the floorboard, nauseous with guilt.

"She just wants you happy, Lylli." Grissom reassured her.

"Okay." She turned back to her book.

Grissom smiled, "How many times have you read that?"

"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical, naked." Lylli quoted without looking at the poem, "The man was a underrated genius."

The four hour ride passed quickly and they pulled into Riverside at a quarter past one in the afternoon. Grissom parked the SUV in front of his mother's two story, white wash house. Lylli undid her seat belt and slid from the confines of the vehicle. Rolling her back and hiking up her worn out jeans. Rose Grissom stepped out on the porch, smiling at her son and granddaughter.

Lylli cast a quick glance over her shoulder at her father before sprinting up the steps to her Grandma's open arms. She buried her head in the crook of her neck and allowed the comforting scent of Avon perfume and paint fumes to calm her racing nerves. Pressing her lips to her grandmother's ear, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Rose pulled back, cupping Lylli's cheek their blue eyes met, "Don't you dare apologize for being yourself."

Lylli nodded, chewing on her lip, "I should start packing."

Rose nodded before turning to greet her son, "Gilbert."

Lylli smiled at the two before letting herself into the house. She loved the small home she had shared with her grandmother for so long, but it just didn't feel like home anymore. She needed to be with her parents and even Rose understood that. She walked slowly up the stairs, tracing her hand over the oak banister and letting her eyes drift to the pictures she had drawn. Her grandmother had framed each and hung them on the staircase wall. At the top of the stairs, against the wall between Lylli's room and the bathroom was a table. Pictures were lined up chronologically.

Lylli looked around her room, it was just as she left it. Her bed was unmade and colored pencils covered her desk. Taking a breath, Lylli moved to her closet, pulling out her luggage. She flopped the suitcase open on the beige carpet and pulled open her dresser. Carefully, she piled in her plethora of jeans, shirts, and hoodies. She removed posters from her walls and rolled them up. With great care she packed her art supplies and pictures.

"You doing okay?" Grissom opened the bedroom door.

Lylli nodded, "I need boxes for my books, can you ask Grandma if she has any?"

"Sure." Grissom smiled, "Lylli..."

"Yeah?" She looked up at him through tear filled eyes.

"It's okay to be sad and excited. This was home for a long time." He tried to reassure her.

Lylli sniffled, "Yeah... I just want to get it done."

"Okay." He whispered and shut the door again.

As dusk set in the last bags were loaded in the back of the Denali and the papers had been signed for Lylli to transfer schools. She had told her few friends goodbye and promised to keep in touch. With tears flowing freely down her face, she hugged her grandmother. She sobbed against Rose's shirt and Rose rocked her back and forth slowly.

"I'll see you. This isn't goodbye. It's see you later." Rose whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Grandma. Thank you." Lylli whispered and wiped at her tears before letting go completely.

"I love you too, Lyllian Rose."

Grissom kissed his mother's cheek before following Lylli to the car and heading back to Las Vegas, home. Lylli slept most of the way, emotionally exhausted from the day of cutting ties. Grissom drove in silence, not wanting the radio to wake Lylli.

"_Daddy, don't go!" Three-year-old Lylli had clung to her father's legs in the Boston airport. Grissom's heart broke as he looked down at the little girl who had his blue eyes. He wanted to stay but he had already pushed back work as much as he could. _

_Grissom picked her up, "I'll be back in two weeks, Bug."_

"_Daddy, NO GO!" She screamed and clung tightly to him. _

_Sara's face fell and she pulled their daughter from him, "Go Griss. She'll be okay."_

"_I love you, Bug." Grissom kissed Lylli's head before heading for his gate and tried to block out the way she screamed for him. _

Grissom pulled up in front of the town house and looked at his daughter. He'd give anything to go back to those days, forget about work and stay with his family. He wished he had listen to any of Lylli's many pleas over the years, all the times she had begged. Shaking his head, she was here now and he had to make it right.

"Lyl." Grissom shook her shoulder, "Bug, we're home."

"Mmph." Lylli grumbled and burrowed deeper against the door.

"C'mon, Lylli, wake up." Grissom's voice got louder.

"What?" Lylli whined, forcing her eyes open.

Grissom smiled, "We're home."

Lylli nodded and reached down to slide on her shoes, "Hey Dad?" Lylli called as she slid out of the vehicle, "What now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm here. I'm staying in your guest room. But when do I see Mom? I mean, are you guys gonna do the whole 'every other weekend' thing or what?" She opened the back hatch, grabbing a few of her bags.

"We haven't talked about it yet." Grissom told her honestly, "We'll figure something out, Lylli. I promise."

They carried the bags and boxes from the Denali to Lylli's room. Lylli dropped the last bag unceremoniously on the floor and collapsed on her bed. Grissom stood in the doorway and smiled, "Call your mother and let her know we're back and then start unpacking. I'll order Chinese."

"Yes, Sir." Lylli pulled her phone from her pocket.

–

"Ready to meet some people?" Grissom asked as he slid his wallet into his back pocket. Lylli sat on the couch cross-legged and braiding her hair.

"They're going to be pissed." Lylli informed him, wrapping the hair tie around her second braid.

Grissom nodded, "Probably, but they'll love you."

"Well of course." Lylli grinned, "I'm innately lovable."

"You'll meet the team and then Sara is going to take you to register for school." Grissom ushered her out the door.

"Awesome." Lylli rolled her eyes and walked out to the truck.

Grissom couldn't keep up with the teenage girl's moods; sometimes she was still his sweet little Lylli and others, she was an angry sullen teenager. With a sigh, he followed her. He knew that he was partly to blame for her anger and that he needed to be consistent right now – Lylli needed him to be, to prove that this was permanent.

The ride to the crime lab was awkwardly silent. Sara stood outside the crime lab waiting for them. Lylli slid out of the truck and walked over to her mother. She wrapped her arms around Sara's waist and hugged her tightly.

"You okay?" Sara whispered.

Lylli nodded, "Still tired from yesterday."

Sara nodded, kissing Lylli's forehead, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Lylli replied, following them into the lab. It was like being a fish in a glass bowl, people stared at her and her parents as they walked to the break room.

Catherine sat drumming her nails while the guys argued over the latest football game. Lylli smiled, she felt like she already knew everyone from the way her parents had talked about them for years. Catherine smiled at her, "Hi Lylli."

"Hi Miss Willows." Lylli gave a small wave.

"Call me Catherine." She instructed.

"Okay." Lylli whispered.

Nick was the first to notice her, "What's goin' on?"

Grissom and Sara were silent, searching for the best way to break the news. Lylli's eyes rolled, "I'm Lylli. Lylli Grissom. Their bastard offspring."

"So much for breaking it gently." Sara sighed

"What?" Warrick's jaw slacked.

"She's our daughter." Grissom took his seat, looking over the assignments for the night, "She's been living with my mother in Riverside, but for her sixteenth birthday, she wanted to move home. We agreed."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Nick asked.

"So that I could work here and there wouldn't be a conflict of interest."

"We'll talk more after shift." Grissom decided, "Right now we have cases to solve."

"We better get going." Sara sighed, "We got to figure out what school you're going to."

"Check out Butterflied." Catherine suggested, "That's where Lindsey goes."

"Thanks." Sara nodded.

Lylli dropped a kiss to Grissom's cheek, "See ya later, Daddy."

"See you, Bug." Grissom smiled at her.

–

"They're in shock." Lylli chuckled, sliding into the car.

Sara nodded, "I don't think they ever envisioned either of us with a kid, let alone having a kid together."

Lylli nodded and fastened her seat belt, "I'm guessing that all the schools are closed since it's like nine o'clock."

"That's what the internet is for, my dear."

"My bad." Lylli chuckled, "Radio?"

"Have at it." Sara smiled as she merged with the traffic.

Lylli flicked on the radio and scanned through the stations. She made faces along the way at the rap and classical music, before settling on a station that played grunge rock, "Good song!"

"You're definitely my daughter." Sara tapped a rhythm on the steering wheel, "Loose lip junkies, southern California, let me come inside."

As the cool night air made it's way through the windows and blew at their hair as they sang along with the radio, Lylli felt six years old again. It brought back memories of San Francisco and driving around listening to the Rolling Stones on Sara's lunch breaks and getting corn dogs at one of the karts on the way back to the daycare and lab.

It felt like home.

* * *

**I just wanted to say thank you! to all my amazing reviewers. You're all epic. The poem, 'Howl' is by Allen Ginsberg (one of the best poets ever) and the song Sara and Lylli sang is "Loose Lips" by The Last Vegas. Thanks for reading! :D - J**


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